Made in Canada // Dress Code

This is a style column. But not the kind that tells you which fashion fads to adopt. Style is a form of self-expression, so my advice is to buck the trends and be you. I’m here to tell you that, as you build a wardrobe you love, there are some terrific Canadian brands that the well dressed often overlook.

As a fashion and branding lawyer, I know this all too well. Every day, I work with talented Canadian designers, helping them safeguard their intellectual property. Trust me, they’re worthy of your (and your wallet’s) attention. So when you update your wardrobe for summer, let me suggest some great Canadian fashion brands.

For the fierce corporate lawyer.

Next time you step into that boardroom, make a bold statement with a colourful pantsuit by emerging designer Tara Rivas. If you’d prefer to stick with your signature Bay Street muted colours, you can still stand out with a suit from Unttld, a fashion line that embraces masculine femininity.

For our dapper gentlemen, consider buying a custom suit from Oak & River. Book an appointment online and a stylist will visit your office or home to measure you and help you pick your fit, fabrics and style.

Tara Rivas

Unttld

Oak & River

For the weekend warrior.

Gentlemen, feeling militant about your weekend fun? Deck yourself out with a military-inspired jacket, thanks to Christopher Bates. This Canadian designer works out of Milan and is making waves in the fashion scene: he recently designed new uniforms for Air Canada.

Ladies, I suggest brightening up your look with an avant-garde metallic jacket from the Toronto designer Hendrixroe. Her pieces are wild, free and available at her studio. Book a visit to her space online.

Christopher Bates

Hendrixroe

Piper & Skye

For the weekend worker.

Let’s face it. There’s a good chance that, at some point this summer, you’ll be lugging files home for the weekend. Shoulder that burden in style with your signature Piper & Skye luxury tote bag. Made out of exotic fish skins sourced from the Amazon, these bags are luxurious. (The scales used to make them are by-products of the Amazonian fishing industry, which means the bags are also sustainable.) They’re sure to make that ever-dwindling work-life balance a bit more pleasurable.

The summer months will be gone in a flash. But with the help of Canada’s best fashion, they can also be the most exciting.

Ashlee Froese is the founder of Froese Law, a branding law firm that is dedicated to serving the fashion industry, as well as branded products, services and celebrities.